Leading the Nation

Elon is the nation’s only university recognized by U.S. News & World Report in all eight categories of high-impact learning.

Elon University earned recognition in all eight of the U.S. News & World Report lists of high-impact academic programs that lead to student success in college. The categories were created 13 years ago by U.S. News with the help of education experts, including staff members of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Each year, college presidents, chief academic officers, deans of students and deans of admission at more than 1,500 colleges and universities are asked to nominate schools of excellence in each academic program category.

Elon has consistently led all other schools in this U.S. News ranking, and in 2016, Elon was recognized in every program category:

First-Year Experiences

Internships/Co-ops

Senior Capstone

Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects

Learning Communities

Study Abroad

Service Learning

Writing in the Disciplines

Elon has high participation in its co-curricular programs collectively known as the “Elon Experiences.” For the 2014-15 academic year, Elon had the following participation rates:

Service: 88%

Internships: 86%

Study Abroad: 72% + Study USA: 10%

Leadership: 47%

Undergraduate Research: 23%

In addition, Elon has a wide array of living-learning communities in its residential neighborhoods. And Elon’s selection this year for excellence in writing follows a major initiative to promote writing skills for students in all majors.

U.S. News & World Report highlighted Elon’s learning communities in a separate story titled “Discover 3 College Programs That Help Students Thrive.” The story detailed ways that Elon’s residential programs for freshmen create a strong intellectual climate on campus.

With recognition in all eight of the U.S. News “Academic Programs to Look For” categories, Elon leads Stanford University and the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, which are each listed in six categories; Duke University and Butler University, which are each listed in five categories; and Yale University, Carleton College and Wagner College, which are listed in four categories.